Liquid pressure tank

ABSTRACT

A liquid pressure tank having particular use in a water supply system. An impervious, flexible bag or diaphragm is disposed within the tank and the interior of the bag defines a water chamber while the space between the outer surface of the bag constitutes an air chamber. The lower end of the tank is provided with an opening and the neck of the bag is formed with an enlarged bead that is sealed between a V-shaped recess formed in the flange of the tank bordering the opening and the peripheral edge of an adapter by a clamping ring. The adapter is provided with a series of holes through which water is introduced and withdrawn from the interior of the bag.

o r United States Patent [11] 3,802,464 Frank et al. Apr. 9, 1974 [54]LIQUID PRESSURE TANK 802,702 10/1958 Great Britain 138/30 [75]Inventors: Raymond W. Frank, Delavan, Wis.;

Ronald D. Hirth, S. Beloit, Ill. Primary Examiner-Charles A. Ruehl [73]Assignee: Sta-Rite Industries, Inc., Delavan, Attorney Agent or FlrmAndruS Sceales Starke &

Wis. Sawall [22] Filed: I Aug. 14, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 280,439 1 IABSTRACT A liquid pressure tank having particular use in a water [52]U.S. Cl. 138/30, 220/85 B- pply y m- An mper i us, flexible bag or dia-[51] Int. Cl. F161 55/04 p g is d p s d ithin th tank and the interiorof [58] Field of Search 138/30; 220/85 B; 92/92; the ag fines a Waterchamber while the space be- I 73/409; 222/105 tween the outer surface ofthe bag constitutes an air chamber. The lower end of the tank isprovided with [5 6] Refe nc Cit d an opening and the neck of the bag isformed with an UNITED STATES PATENTS enlarged bead that is sealedbetween a V-shaped recess formed in the flange of the tank bordering the58 opening and the peripheral edge of an adapter by a 7/1962 Homer" B Xclamping ring. The adapter is provided with a series of 3,722,756 3 1973Cramer, Jr. 220/85 BX holes through which Water is introduced and With-FOREGN PATENTS R APPLICATIONS drawn from the interior of the bag.935,743 9/1963 Great Britain 220/85 B 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Z5 Z7Z5 ii 7 5o r LIQUID PRESSURE TANK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ter. Withpressure tanks of this type, the air will gradually dissolve in thewater, so that the air pressure head will gradually be reduced over aperiod of time until the tank becomes substantially filled with water oris water logged. To eliminate the loss of the air pressure head,pressure tanks in the past have utilized an air volume control whichwould periodically admit charges of air from the atmosphere into theupper end of the tank to maintain the pressure head at the desiredlevel. In some cases, compressed air has also been introduced into thetank to maintain the air pressure head at the desired level.

To overcome the problems associated with a pressure tank in which theair head is in contact with the water, impervious diaphragms of variousshapes have been utilized which divide the pressure tank into an airchamber and a water chamber. Diaphragm-type systems have the advantagein that the air is separated from the water so that there is no problemof the air. dissolving in the water with the resulting loss in the airpressurehead. In some installations, the diaphragm has taken the form ofa bag so that the water is confined solely in the bag and will notcontact the walls of the tank, thereby eliminating the need for acorrosion resistant lining or coating on the inner surface of the tank.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an improved liquidpressure DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings illustrate the bestmode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention;

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of the pressure tank of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section of the bag mountingstructure before application of the clamping ring; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 after application of the clampingring. 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The drawings illustrate a liquidpressure tank 1 that has particular use in a water supply system. Thetank 1 includes a generally cylindrical shell 2 having its open tankutilizing animpervious, flexible bag-shaped diaphragm and has particularuse in a water supply system. According to the invention, the lower endof the tank is provided with an opening bordered by an outwardlyextending flange that defines a V-shaped circumferential recess. Theneck of the bag is provided with a bead that is sealed between theV-shaped recess and the peripheral edge of an adapter by a clampingring. The adapter is mounted across the opening and is provided with aseries of holes through which the water is introduced and withdrawn intothe interior of the bagshaped diaphragm. 1

The mounting construction of the invention insures that uniform pressureis applied to the entire circumference of the neck of the bag to therebyprovide a more effective seal of the neck to the tank. Moreover, themounting construction can be readily disassembled in thefield withsimple tools which thereby faciliates the removal of the bag formaintenance or replacement.

As the water is contained solely within the bag, it will not contact thetank itself, thereby eliminating the need for a corrosion resistantcoating or lining on the interio surface of the tank.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

19 to the leg 15 and the clamping action serves to comupper end enclosedby a dome-shaped head 3 and the lower end closed by a head 4. The heads3 and 4 are provided with flanges which are welded to the inner surfaceof the shell 2.

Mounted within the tank 1 is an air and water impervious flexible bag ordiaphragm 5, and the interior of the bag 5 defines a water chamber 6,while the space between the outer surface of the bag 5 and tank 1provides an air chamber 7.

Air is supplied to the air chamber 7 through an air valve 8 which issecured within an opening 9 in the dome-shaped upper head 3. A cap 10encloses the outer end of valve 8. In practice the air chamber 7 isnormally precharded with compressed air so that it has a pressure in therange of 20 to 30 psi and after precharging, the valve 9 is closed sothat the air chamber 7 is closed to the atmosphere. As water isintroduced into the bag, the bag inflates and the air within the airchamber 7 will be compressed to a range of perhaps 40 to 50 psi.Precharging the air chamber 7 with compressed air enables a greaterproportion of the volume of the bag to be utilized for providing thedesired pressure in the water system.

' To mount the bagS with respect to the head 4 of the tank, the head isprovided with an opening 11 that is bordered by an annular, downwardlyextending flange 12 which terminates in an angular outwardly bent leg13. A ring 14 is welded to the outer surface of the flange 12 and isprovided with an angular leg 15. Legs 13 and 1S diverge to define agenerally V-shaped annular recess 16.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the neck 17 of the bag 5 isprovided with an enlarged bead or rim 18 having a generally circularcross section when in the uncompressed state-Thebead 18 is securedwithin the V-shaped recess 15 by means of a plastic, disc-shaped adapter19 that extends across the opening 11 in head 4. The lower edge of thebead 18 is received within an annular groove 20 formed'in the uppersurface of the adapter 19. The periphery of the adapter 19 is providedwith a pair of inclined edges 21 and 22, and before clamping, as shownin FIG. 3, the upper inclined edge 21 is spaced slightly out of contactwith the lower surface of'the leg 15.

A clamping ring 23 is employed to clamp the adapter press the bead l8and provide a fluid tight seal between the members. As best shown inFIGS. 2 and 4, the

clamping ring 23 is of standard construction and it includes a circularband 24, and a pair of side walls 25 diverge outwardly from the band 24.The band 24 is tightened by a turn bolt 26, and in the clampingoperation, one of the diverging side walls 25 bears against the outerinclined surface of leg 15, while the other side wall 25 bears againstthe inclined edge 22 of the adapter 19 to draw the members tightlytogether and compress the bead 18. In the compressed state, as shown inFIG. 4, the bead l8 bears firmly against the inner surfaces of thediverging legs 13 and 15, as well .as being sealed within the groove 20To introduce water into the interior of the bag or water chamber 6, theadapter 19 is provided with a central bore 27 and a disc 28 is locatedat the upper end of the bore and is provided with a series of holes 29.A water line 30 is threaded within the lower end of the bore 27 andwater is introduced and withdrawn from the bag through the line 30. Theseries of small holes 29 in disc 28 prevents the bag 5 from being drawndownwardly into the bore 27 if the bag is completely collapsed, therebypreventing possible damage or rupture of the bag.

The use of the clamping ring 23 enables uniform pressure to be appliedaround the entire periphery of the head 18 and thereby provides a moreuniform and effective sealing action.

With the construction of the invention, the bag 5 can be readily removedfrom the tank by untightening the turn bolt 26, after disconnecting thewater line 30, and removing the clamping ring 23. The adapter 19 canthen be lowered and the bag 5 drawn outwardly through the opening 11.

As the water is contained entirely within the interior of the bag 5, theconstruction eliminates any problem of corrosion of the tank wall orcontamination of the water with the products of corrosion.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

We claim:

l. A liquid pressure tank assembly, comprising a tank having an openingtherein, an annular flange on the tank bordering said opening, saidflange having a first annular leg and a second annular leg locatedradially outward of said first leg and diverging from said first leg toprovide a generally V-shaped recess therebetween, an impervious bagmounted within the tank with the interior of the bag defining a liquidchamber and the space between the bag and the tank defining a gaschamber, an-adapter disposed across the opening in the tank andincluding conduit means for introducing and withdrawing liquid from theinterior of the bag, said bag having a neck terminating in an enlargedbead, said bead'disposed within said recess in said flange, and aclamping ring engaged with the peripheral edge of the adapter and saidtank flange and operable to seal the bead between the flange and theadapter.

2. The tank assembly of claim 1, wherein said clamping ring includes acircular band and a pair of side walls diverging outwardly from saidband, said adapter having an inclined annular surface disposed adjacentthe periphery of said adapter, one of said side walls of the clampingring disposed in engagement with said inclined surface and the other ofsaid side walls disposed in engagement with the outer surface of saidsecond leg.

3. The tank assembly of claim 2, wherein said adapter is formed with acircular groove facing said V-shaped recess, said bead disposed in saidgroove.

4. The tank assembly of claim 1, wherein said conduit means comprises aseries of small holes.

5. A liquid pressure tank assembly, comprising a tank having an openingtherein, an annular flange extending outwardly from the tank andbordering the opening, said flange including a first angular leg and asecond angular leg disposed radially outward of said first leg anddiverging from said first leg to provide a generally V- shaped annularrecess therebetween, an impervious bag disposed within the tank andhaving a neck disposed within the opening, an adapter disposed acrossthe opening in the tank and having a series of holes therein throughwhich water is introduced and withdrawn from the interior of the bag,said adapter having a generally circular groove therein facing said V-shaped recess and having a first inclined surface located adjacent theperiphery of said adapter, said neck of the bag being provided with acircular bead, said bead disposed within the recess and within saidgroove, and a clamping ring having a pair of diverging side surfaces,one of said side surfaces disposed in engagement with the outer surfaceof the second leg and the other of said side surfaces disposed inengagement with the inclined surface of said adapter, whereby tighteningof said clamping ring serves to seal said bead between the legs and theadapter to provide a fluid tight seal for the bag,

6. The tank assembly of claim 5, wherein said adapter is provided with asecond inclined surface located adjacent the periphery of said adapterand disposed in engagement with the inner surface of said second legwhen the clamping ring is tightened.

7. A liquid pressure tank assembly, comprising a tank having an openingtherein, an annular flange on the tank bordering said opening, saidflange having an outwardly facing annular recess, an impervious bagmounted within the interior of the tank with the interior of the bagdefining a fluid chamber, said bag having a neck terminating in anenlarged bead, a connecting member disposed across the opening in thetank and including conduit means for introducing and withdrawing fluidfrom the interior of the bag, said bead disposed within the recess insaid flange, and a clamping ring engaged with the peripheral edge of theconnecting member and with said tank flange and operable to compress andseal the bead between the flange and the connecting member, saidconnecting member having a surface located radially outward of the beadon the bag and disposed in engagement with said flange when the clampingring is tightened and the bead is compressed.

8. The tank assembly of claim 7, wherein the connecting member is formedwith a circular groove facing the recess in the flange and the bead isdisposed in said groove, said surface being located radially outward andadjacent said groove.

1. A liquid pressure tank assembly, comprising a tank having an openingtherein, an annular flange on the tank bordering said opening, saidflange having a first annular leg and a second annular leg locatedradially outward of said first leg and diverging from said first leg toprovide a generally V-shaped recess therebetween, an impervious bagmounted within the tank with the interior of the bag defining a liquidchamber and the space between the bag and the tank defining a gaschamber, an adapter disposed across the opening in the tank andincluding conduit means for introducing and withdrawing liquid from theinterior of the bag, said bag having a neck terminating in an enlargedbead, said bead disposed within said recess in said flange, and aclamping ring engaged with the peripheral edge of the adapter and saidtank flange and operable to seal the bead between the flange and theadapter.
 2. The tank assembly of claim 1, wherein said clamping ringincludes a circular band and a pair of side walls diverging outwardlyfrom said band, said adapter having an inclined annular surface disposedadjacent the periphery of said adapter, one of said side walls of theclamping ring disposed in engagement with said inclined surface and theother of said side walls disposed in engagement with the outer surfaceof said second leg.
 3. The tank assembly of claim 2, wherein saidadapter is formed with a circular groove facing said V-shaped recess,said bead disposed in said groove.
 4. The tank assembly of claim 1,wherein said conduit means comprises a series of small holes.
 5. Aliquid pressure tank assembly, comprising a tank having an openingtherein, an annular flange extending outwardly from the tank andbordering the opening, said flange including a first angular leg and asecond angular leg disposed radially outward of said first leg anddiverging from said first leg to provide a generally V-shaped annularrecess therebetween, an impervious bag disposed within the tank andhaving a neck disposed within the opening, an adapter disposed acrossthe opening in the tank and having a series of holes therein throughwhich water is introduced and withdrawn from the interior of the bag,said adapter having a generally circular groove therein facing saidV-shaped recess and having a first inclinEd surface located adjacent theperiphery of said adapter, said neck of the bag being provided with acircular bead, said bead disposed within the recess and within saidgroove, and a clamping ring having a pair of diverging side surfaces,one of said side surfaces disposed in engagement with the outer surfaceof the second leg and the other of said side surfaces disposed inengagement with the inclined surface of said adapter, whereby tighteningof said clamping ring serves to seal said bead between the legs and theadapter to provide a fluid tight seal for the bag.
 6. The tank assemblyof claim 5, wherein said adapter is provided with a second inclinedsurface located adjacent the periphery of said adapter and disposed inengagement with the inner surface of said second leg when the clampingring is tightened.
 7. A liquid pressure tank assembly, comprising a tankhaving an opening therein, an annular flange on the tank bordering saidopening, said flange having an outwardly facing annular recess, animpervious bag mounted within the interior of the tank with the interiorof the bag defining a fluid chamber, said bag having a neck terminatingin an enlarged bead, a connecting member disposed across the opening inthe tank and including conduit means for introducing and withdrawingfluid from the interior of the bag, said bead disposed within the recessin said flange, and a clamping ring engaged with the peripheral edge ofthe connecting member and with said tank flange and operable to compressand seal the bead between the flange and the connecting member, saidconnecting member having a surface located radially outward of the beadon the bag and disposed in engagement with said flange when the clampingring is tightened and the bead is compressed.
 8. The tank assembly ofclaim 7, wherein the connecting member is formed with a circular groovefacing the recess in the flange and the bead is disposed in said groove,said surface being located radially outward and adjacent said groove.